For Elysia! The Elysian Drop Troop Regiment v3.x

Had a game with captPiett and this list last Friday. Between Mosc and some games against Matt the Muppet over VASSAL a few years back this makes at least six.

My impression back then and this past Friday is pretty much "how is this even fun to play"?

The biggest issue is using teleport to represent the drop. Teleporting 8+ units in with no save and a 15cm shot is useless. You have to put them close to the enemy to be of any use, and between the blast markers they get from teleport and their average SR it's going to lead to a broken army. CP teleported in three formations turn 2, and all three were broken after my third activation. Give them self planetfall, a heavy bolter, a missile launcher, something. It's just ugly otherwise.

"We die standing" seems to apply to the drop regiment the most, but I also enjoyed this kind of game with every other IG regiment for some degree though. I think with SR 2 or less, prevention is very crucial. Like all those ground based regiments, when you deploy & garrison, almost half the game is decided just by placing your tiny soldiers.In case of the drop regiment, the "teleport" takes the place of deployment, however it still retains it's importance.

What does it mean? It means that you have to take SR into consideration and determine deployment / teleport coordinates in a way to defend against (prevention) enemy formations taking first move!For other armies, like SM termies it is obvious to place them as close as possible, since they gona start moving first. For drop troops however, all you manage this way is to receive fire on open ground, and getting back into the hobby box.As any other IG infantry, the drop infantry needs cover for good. More so they should be placed where the enemy cant or partially sees them. Depending upon battlefield and enemy positions, this can be still very close, close enough for an advance shooting or enganging attack or just simply being close.Same goes for sentinels, they have 20 cm move, and then they can shoot 15 cm far. (usually with 3xMW5+, as one blast marker is on them beacuse of teleport... with my rolls it is definite!)This doesn't make them invulnerable, but forces the opponent to take moves to attack them at all, plus a good cover can save the ass of infantry a lot.

I've not actually tried this army yet, but think it looks like fun. Re; the thought that Drop Troop Companies are to fragile, perhaps it would be appropriate (and within the fluff, or at least the intent thereof) to allow them to be on overwatch as soon as they "teleport" in.

Regardless of that, however, it seems to me their best use is to be teleported in within 15cm of a Storm Trooper formation then "commanded" into a joint engagement action. Sheer weight of numbers would take down most targets.

Gave another go for Drop Troops against SL. Crowd infantry SL seemed to be hard nutshell, but I lacked the tactical effort to come over it.After the battle, I thought about the following; adding hardened veterans to drop infantry. Placing the drop-teleport close enough to force scout zoc on an overwatching formation.If I'm correct this nasty manouvre cripples the overwatching formation to either move out of ZoC or engage the drop infantry right?And if I manage to take initiative before them, the overwatching formation may not use up it's shooting on a different moving formation, since it is sitting in ZoC!

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